Hosiery



March 28, 1961 LEvlN 2,976,707

HOSIERY Filed April 4, 1958 IN V EN TOR.

Nam W Unit d HOSIERY Nathan Levin, 722 Edgewood Ave., Trenton, NJ.

Filed Apr. 4, 1958, Ser. No. 726,417

6 Claims. (Cl. 66-172) tates Patent'fO courses to provide the rib simulation in the plain fabric of the body yarns. The elastic yarn is used to form the selvage for-the top, being fed, without knitting, for one or more courses to spaced needles after which the body yarns are fed to and, knit by all the needles for the selvage and thereafter both yarns continue to form the top. At the point of introduction of the body yarn' or yarns, the first knitting course thereof on all the needles acts to cast oif the elastic yarn, interlaced on bare needles, to form the selvage. At the first needle taking a body yarn, there is a tendency for a hole to develop' in the top asthe latter is stretched during subsequent handling of the same. In some cases it has even been advisable to draw the loose beginning end of the body yarn through the fabric of the top by hand to anchor the yarn and eliminate the hole.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved simulated rib top in which the selvage is free -of holes at the point of introduction of the body yarn or yarns.

It is a further object of the invention to anchor the to interlace the body yarnor yarns upon one or more spaced needles, which may be the same needles to which the elastic yarn has been fe d:,;be fore' commencing the knitting of the'asay yarns in the hose top.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the same which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a circular knit hose having a simulated rib top,

Fig. 2 is a side view of the opposite side of the hose shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged diagrammatic view showing the stitches in the top selvage for a few courses in the area of introduction of one of the body yarns,

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic representation of certain features of a four feed circular knitting machine, and

Figs. 5 and 6 are diagrammatic views showing steps in the needle action in the method of forming the improved top.

One type of hose shown in Figs. 1 and 2, in the making of which the present method of knitting may be used.

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The hose, indicated generally at 20, has a simulated rib or elastic top indicated at 21, and the usual other hose portions.

The improved top of the present invention may be made upon any type of circular hose machine provided with means to manipulate the needles in the manner hereinafter described, the present description indicating the use of a multiple feed machine, also the invention is also applicable to tops made upon single feed machines. A four feed revolving cylinder machine, of the Reading CK type, is diagrammatically shown in Fig. 4. The elastic yarn R is fed to the needles at feed No. 3, body yarn Y-4 is fed at feed No. 4 and body yarn Y-2 is fed at feed No. 2, while the needle circle is indicated at 22.

A portion of the top 21 is shown in enlarged stitch de tail in Fig. 3 wherein the selvage 23 at the start of the top is formed of elastic yarn R and body yarns Y-2 and Y4. The selvage course of elastic yarn is shown at 24 as a single course thereof, although it will be understood that multiple courses of the elastic may be incorporated in the selvage, if so desired. The elastic yarn R is tucked at one of the feeds in alternate ones of the bare needles at the start of the top, in the usual manner, for one or more revolutions of the needle cylinder, after which the needles pass through the usual knitting wave at other feeds while taking and knitting body yarn, say

wale 28 and thereafter forms alternate courses, such as courses 29 and 30, of the top 21. In a similar manner, not shown, at another point, the yarn Y-4 commences the formation of regular stitches to form the intervening courses, such as courses 31 and 32., of the top 21. Be-

tween the courses 30 and 31, and at similar places throughout the top, an inlaid course of elastic yarn R is incorporated in the usual manner, being cast off unknit during the formation of course 30. Preceding the wale 28, which is the first wale in which yarn Y-4 is knit to form the first of the stitches 25, the yarn Y-4 is incorporated as at 33, for a few wales starting with the wale 29, along with elastic yarn R in the stitches 26 of the yarn Y-2 within the selvage 23. If this were not done, there would be no anchor for the yarn Y-4 before commencing the knitting of the stitches 25 and a hole would develop in the selvage;23-at the wale 28. The incorporating of the body yarn Y4 along -with the elastic yarn R for one or more wales in the selvage prior to knitting the same provides an anchor for the yarn Y-4 and prevents the formation of holes in the fabric.

The yarn Y-2 is similarly anchored within the selvage at a spaced circumferential point of the top 21, the yarns Y-2 and Y-4 being normally introduced at spaced needles during a single course of knitting. This anchoring or unknit incorporation of the body yarns in the selvage may be for as few or as many wales as desired.

The feeds Nos. 2, 3, and 4 are provided with means to selectively raise alternate needles, preferably having long butts, to tuck level, while feeds Nos. 2 and 4 also have means to rise all the needles to the regular full latch clearing level. In Figs. 5 and 6 the long butt alternate needles are indicated at N-1 while the short butt intervening needles are indicated at N-2. In Fig. 5, which represents feed No. 3, a thin cam 34 may be raised into the full line position shown to raise alternate bare "aware? needles N-l from the low idle level, indicated along the line path 35, 36, to travel along the tuck level line path 37, 38, 39, 40 to take elastic yarn R for one or more revolutions of the machine, this yarn remaining in the needle hooks of needles N1 and being at the back of intervening needles N-Z.

When it is desired to start a body yarn, such as Y-4 at feed No. 4, Fig. 6, a similar thin cam 34 causes the alternate needles N-2 to follow the tuck level 'path, as described in connection with Fig. 5. This feed (and feed No. 2) is also provided with a cam 41 which may be raised from its lower idle dotted line position to its upper full line active position wherein it will raise all the needles from the low idle level path 35, 36 to traverse the regular knitting path 37, 38, 42, 43, 44, 39, and 40 and then move to the low idle level. The regular stitch drawing or needle lowering cams of the machine for moving the needles to their low idle level path have not been shown. With cam 34 in active position raising alternate needles N-l to tuck level, the yarn Y-4 is placed into feeding position so that a few, here shown as four, needles N-l take the same at tuck level, thereafter cam 41 is placed in full line position to raise all the needles to follow the regular knitting path to take the yarn Y-4 and knit the same. The result is that the four tuck needles take yarn Y4 without knitting the same and that the following needles take and regularly knit the yarn Y-4. Now these four tuck needles also have the inlaid elastic yarn R tucked within their hooks in addition to the yarn Y-4 and when these four needles are next knitted in the regular manner, at feed No. 2, the

tucked portion of the yarn Y-4 and the elastic yarn R are cast off unknit thereat as the yarn Y-2 is knitted to form the stitches 26. Thus the yarn Y-4 is anchored in the selvage at 33. Knitting upon all the needles at feed No. 4 of the yarn Y-4 will first form the stitches 25 and thereafter the courses 31 and 32. The knitting action (not shown) is similar at feed No. 2 where the yarn Y-2 is incorporated unknit in a few tuck needles which also have the elastic yarn R tucked therein, these needles casting off the elastic yarn R and the yarn Y-2 at feed No. 4 to similarly anchor the yarn Y-Z in the selvage.

In this description, the yarns Y-2 and Y4 are both anchored in the selvage 23; however, by knitting at least one complete course of one of the body yarns before introducing the other of the body yarns, the one body yarn will be anchored in the selvage while the other body yarn will be anchored in the course in which it is first introduced.

It will be understood that means other than that shown may be used to selectively position the needles to take the yarns in the manner indicated to produce the same results in the fabric. Furthermore the elastic and the body yarns may be introduced at other feeds than those indicated.

In the above description the alternate needles N-ltaking the body yarns in tuck position are some of the 7 same alternate needles N-l which received the elastic yarn R in tuck position, however, with appropriate needle selection at the feeds Nos. 2 and 4, the needles which take the body yarns in tuck position may be the intervening needles N-2. With this modification, the body yarns will also be anchored in the selvage as regular knitting commences, however, they will be so anchored in the corresponding other wales of the fabric.

I claim:

1. Hosiery having a simulated rib top formed of an elastic yarn and of at least one body yarn, said top having a selvage formed of said yarns wherein said elastic yarn is incorporated in stitch formations of said body yarn, said body yarn having its terminal portion incorporated with said elastic yarn in said stitch formations.

2. Tubular fabric having a simulated rib border portion formed of an elastic yarn and of at least one body 7 yarn, said portion having a selvage formed of said yarns wherein said elastic yarn is incorporated unknit in stitch formations of said body yarn, and said body yarn having its terminal portion incorporated unknit along with said elastic yarn in at least one of said stitch formations.

3. Hosiery having a simulated rib top formed of an elastic yarn and of at least a pair of body yarns, said top having a selvage formed of said yarns wherein said elastic is inlaid in spaced-wale-stitch formations of said body yarns, the terminal portion of one of said body yarns which precedes the first stitch formation thereof being inlaid along with said elastic yarn in certain of the stitch formations of the other of said body yarns.

4. Hosiery having a simulated rib top formed of an elastic yarn and of at least a pair of body yarns, said top having a selvage formed of said yarns wherein said elastic yarn is incorporated in stitch formations of said body yarns, the terminal portion of one of said body yarns which precedes the first stitch formation thereof being incorporated with said elastic yarn in stitch formations of the other of said body yarns.

5. Hosiery as set forth in claim 4 wherein the like terminal portion of the other of said body yarns is incorporated with said elastic yarn in stitch formations of said one ofsaid body yarns.

6. Hosiery having a simulated rib top formed of an elastic yarn and of at least one body yarn, said top having a selvage formed of said yarns wherein said elastic yarn is inlaid in stitch formations of said body yarn,

the terminal portion of said body yarn which precedes the first stitch formation thereof by at least one wale being inlaid with said elastic yarn in said selvage.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,054,217 Getaz Sept. 15, 1936 2,191,456 Davis Feb. 27, 1940 2,215,286 "Davis Sept. 17, 1940 2,230,402 Getaz Feb. 4, 1941 2,344,350 'Getaz' Mar. 14, 1944 

